poetry and pen

   Sometimes, it is hard for me to gather my thoughts to compose what I should be writing on these posts. Should I share more about my personal life and have this be a journal for myself as I originally wanted? Or keep it simple and brief with no deep or real feelings? I decided I want to do what I intended on doing with my little space here on the internet; write what is from the heart so that I can keep track of the things I am feeling at this exact moment in time.

 (rides on my new bike.) 

(sweater: free people, blouse/belt: thrifted, skirt: thrifted from my grandma, tights: self-dyed, flats: simply vera) 

   Today was most likely the last time I will be able to see my friend, and penpal, for another two years. It was so wonderful to meet Marcos as well. Sara and Marco's love is one you can just "feel" and will make any one person happy to be around both of them. She plans on finishing her degree in Argentina  and will make a trip back after she does. We have had a few adventures while she has been visiting, but my overwhelming school schedule keeps me occupied daily. She gave me her thrifted, pink Huffy and I am rather excited for exploration on it this season. 

   As she was leaving today, I was trying to convince her to start documenting her and Marco's life in South America... because I (and I believe everyone else) would love to see the world from their parent's piece of land, in a far away place. In the near future, I hope to share another post from here, as I did here, because her life is truly an inspirational wanderlust story. 

visitors from afar

(dress: re-run's vintage, blouse: thirfted, belt: a friend's closet, tights: target, pilgrim shoes: thirfted) 

   Oh, what a wonderful Saturday this one was! As I mentioned my penpal in this post.. she is in the states for the next few months and brought her boyfriend back with her. It was his first time ever in the United States. With that being said, I had to show him a taste of Kansas City. 

   Our first stop was the West Bottoms, in which we went to a few vintage stores and got some coffee at a local shop. I decided to take him to the Liberty Memorial to show him a wonderful view of the city. Sarah, my penpal, had missed Trader Joes and the prepackaged items you could buy there (they make everything from scratch!), so we bought some food to make a light dinner at my house. 

   I couldn't be more excited to have her, and her boyfriend, here to spend time with. Thankful that I have a few more months to spend with them!

snail mail: penpal introduction

   hello readers! i am pleased to penpal, sarah! we met when we were in high school, and stayed close for awhile after. sarah decided to take a trip to argentina after finishing her degree in accounting, and decided to stay indefinitely (well, so far!). we had lost touch for a short period, but we decided we should stay in contact through being penpals. she has always been such a creative and inspiring person to me, i thought i would show readers a little of her personal style/vegan diet/let her talk about her move from the american midwest to south america. (she does not have a blog i can link you to, but i am going to try and encourage her to start one!). 

   "when i decided to move to argentina, after meeting my boyfriend in ecuador, I did a little research before hand. argentina, also called the europe of south america, had the nostalgia of italy with towns similar to paris (as written in travel reviews). while reading a little about the culture and history, I saw a phrase: cow country. apart, the word vegan did not exist. I started a vegan diet about 2 years ago, but have survived on store bought almond milk, and contently packaged vegan products."

   "as i started my journey into the place furthest away from my home, i kept this in the back of my mind. the first few months, i struggled with the language and the lifestyle. i couldn't express myself in the ways that i had worked so hard to construct in my language. half a year had passed and although satisfied in my relationship, i wasn't satisfied with my lifestyle. i didn't feel a sense of being understood, of having a community of people i could relate to."

   "after eating at a local vegan restaurant, i knew that it was the perfect place to fill the emptiness I had felt. i have been working there for a few months and have since learned the language and gained a sense of family. at the beginning of my stay i complained that i didn't have the opportunities, the luxuries i had in kansas city. after making everything from scratch, from the almond milk to picking vegetables from the garden for my salad, i created a stronger relationship with with the ¨tierra¨ or land. yes I have changed, yes i have a different perspective, but not in the sense that argentina put something in me i didn't have before, but it gave my body the environment necessary to make what i already had grow."

  i hope all of you readers enjoyed this post with the help from my wonderful penpal in south america. i am more than excited to have a penpal (the stationary sets, actually using stamps, etc), and i am so happy i reconnected with a friend. 

   readers, would you enjoy more updates from my penpal in the future?